Today we will talk about God’s Will, what it means, and what this has to do with our contentment.
So, what does God’s will mean? It means that God has a plan for the world and for all of us. Yet God has a specific will for you as well. What are the three types of God’s Will, and which one applies to you?
Let’s dig into today’s topic and find out.
Understanding God’s Will
I don’t know about you, but Understanding God’s Will is a concept that is hard to understand. God’s Word doesn’t specifically outline it. We need to do a little digging to find these gems throughout scripture.
God is sovereign and is in control over all things. He created the earth and the heavens and was present at the beginning of time. The end of time will not be a surprise to God. He knows this too.
God knows what is happening around the world right now and hears the cries for help from each person. Because He is our omniscient, or all-knowing, God, He is able to hear all people at the same time!
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Psalm 139:1-3
And in this next passage, at the dedication of the temple, King Solomon prayed that God in heaven would hear,
forgive the people and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only), know the hearts of all the children of mankind.
1 Kings 8:39 ESV
God knows our hearts, He hears us, knows what we need, and is in the watchful care of all our ways.
God is our Sovereign or Kingly ruler of this world. He is in control of the things in our lives.
The story of Joseph is an excellent example of God’s sovereignty. Joseph’s story is found in Genesis 37 through 50. That is a lengthy passage of scripture, so this is my summary of these chapters.
Joseph was the favorite brother of Jacob’s 12 sons. The brothers stripped him of his colorful robe and sold him to traders who took him to Egypt. These men then sold him to an officer of Pharoah.
After many trials, Joseph became the second in command of all the land. He had the wisdom from God to ensure that everyone in the land stored up grain during their years of abundance for the coming famine years.
Joseph’s father, Jacob, heard that there was grain for sale in Egypt, so he sent his sons there, except for Benjamin. Eventually, they learn that Egypt’s governor is their brother Joseph. After Joseph told them who he was, they couldn’t answer him.
Then Joseph tells them not to be distressed or angry because they sold him there, for God sent him there to preserve life (Gen 45:4-8).
God had a plan all along for Joseph’s life. Even though Joseph’s brothers wanted to harm him, they didn’t and sold him off to slave traders. And their father, Jacob, was told that Joseph was dead. However, God wanted Joseph to be the 2nd in the land of Egypt so he would care for all the people during the time of famine.
God’s Will was for ALL nations to know Him through the providence of food during this time of famine in many countries.
In Joseph’s story, we learn about God’s Will for Joseph, his family, and the nation of Israel, Egypt, and all the nations around them. God’s Will is both general and specific in this story and in our lives. SO…..
What are the 3 types of God’s Will?
The first type of God’s Will is His General Will or His ultimate plan for ALL of humanity.
Ultimately, God’s Will or plan includes His desire to have all people come to know Him through Jesus Christ.
We know this from this verse.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 ESV
And in 1 Timothy 2:4, God…
desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:4 ESV
Even though God’s Will or desire is that all people come to know Him, He gives each person a choice to accept Him or reject Him. You can choose. This is your Free Will. He doesn’t force all people to come to Him but willingly waits for us to come to Him.
What is God’s Will in our lives?
The second type of God’s Will for you and me is called the “specific type.” And when you answer the question above, the answer depends on who you are and the specific gifts and talents that are given to you. And in addition to that, there is your calling for how you use that particular gift or talent.
God gives great spiritual gifts to each of His children. The gifts are listed in the following Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Ephesians 4:7, 11-12, 1 Peter 4:10-11, and Romans 12:6-8.
Who gives us these specific types of God’s will, and how are they used?
Specific Types of God’s Will are given to us by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit gives each gift to us according to the portion He wills to give to each person (1 Cor 12:11). Like servings of food at the table, you may give a smaller portion to a child and a more significant portion to an adult. Food preferences, serving size, and appetite can impact how much of a portion you give. You know how much food they can handle.
A gift that God has given you, in an entire portion, is one that I may have but in a smaller portion. Each gift is needed at different times or reasons. I have the gift of encouragement. I write an occasional note to encourage ladies in their faith. You lead a weekly worship service to encourage others to enter God’s presence and praise the Lord with their voices.
How are these gifts, specific types of God’s Will, used?
God’s grace is not ‘one size fits all.’
Peter tells us that
“These gifts are used to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
1 Peter 4:10 ESV
I am not a Greek scholar, but I love doing word studies. Please forgive me if I say Greek (Or Hebrew words) incorrectly.
The Greek word for Varied is poikilos -poy kee laws- which means: various colors, variegated, or of various sorts
These could be gifts of serving in the kitchen by putting out cookies and coffee for fellowship time. Or serving in the nursery to care for the wee ones. Teaching the women or children about the Bible.
Gifts are used to equip the saints to build up the body of Christ (Eph 4:12 ESV). The gift of teaching is an example. You may use your specific type of God’s Will with a gift of teaching to lead a group of youth on a Sunday evening to challenge them to grow in Christ. And another may lead a small group of believers at work to study God’s Word early in the morning before work starts. I use my gift of teaching to lead women in a Bible study one evening a week.
All gifts should be used to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 4:11 ESV). They should not be used to puff you up. When you use these gifts to honor God, you receive a blessing by sharing them with others.
Isn’t it amazing to serve God, who allows us to use the gifts we have been given in so many different ways?
Third Type of God’s Will
There is a third type of God’s Will called Free Will. God gives us the ability to make choices in life. These decisions need to adhere to God’s commands and reflect His holiness. But He allows the freedom to choose wisely, and even not so wisely.
God lets us choose!
Here are the free will choices that He gives us.
1. Free Will Choice of Salvation
The choice of salvation is a type of Free Will that we have. We can choose to accept or reject God. His sovereign Will desires to have all people come to know Him. But you have the Free Will choice to make that decision for or against His gift of grace given to you. These two verses speak to this:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.
2. Free Will Choice of Marriage or not
We can choose to be married or single (1 Cor 7:7 ESV). Paul talks about in this verse how being married or single is a gift that God gives.
Within this gift of singleness or marriage, God gives us guidelines that we should follow, and for a good reason. God commands that we should be married to another believer (2 Cor. 6:14 ESV). This is important as marriage to an unbeliever can turn a believer’s heart away from God. King Solomon was an example of this (1 Kings 11:4 ESV)- when he was old, his wives turned Solomon’s heart to other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God – like his father, David.
3. Our Career is another Free Will Choice –
A career is another free-will choice that we can make based on the talents and abilities that God has given us. We can do this work heartily, in whatever we do, to the Lord (Colossians 3:23). However, this work shouldn’t be something that wouldn’t bring glory to God – – selling drugs, cheating others out of money, or using women or men for sex, for example).
Even within the choice of career, there may be times when God allows a change to happen in your career that will bring great glory to Him. My writing again resulted from a change in my job a few years ago. You can learn more about what happened and my business story, which explains why I started God’s Plan Guided Steps. I will provide that link in the show notes.
There are many other free-will choices that God allows us. He gives us options to choose from as long as they align with keeping His commandments.
Summary
Today: We learned that the three types of God’s Will are God’s sovereign will, our specific will, and our free will choices. Each one is important for understanding God’s Will for You.
We all have freedom in Christ with boundaries.
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Knowing God’s Will for us, both general and specific, can affect our contentment in our lives – are we following Him or trying to do life on our own? And knowing God’s specific will for our lives can affect how we are contented with the choices we have made and whether they are based on His commands, or we are going along with how we feel in the moment.
I hope that this was helpful for you today. If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord & Savior, you can check out this page on my website: godsplanguidedsteps.com/youcanknowpeace. If you know Jesus but are unsure of God’s Will for you, review the show notes today and check out the Bible verses in today’s podcast. Reread them and pray about God’s direction for you.
I am open to hearing your questions about this topic and others on the podcast. Feel free to email me at: Cindy@godsplanguidedsteps.com
